Sawyer has a phenomenal pediatrician, and in both of his offices there are these beautiful fish tanks that the children LOVE. It’s great! It’s not a litter of puppies, a monkey, sloth, lamb, nor baby chicks, but considering some folks have allergies to those, and they seem to be able to avoid anaphylactic shock when fish are swimming in a glass container, it’s the next best thing to take their minds off the immediate future of injections and pain they will be receiving in a room 10 meters down the hallway.

After checking in for Sawyer’s appointment, his gaze at the fish magnetically lures us to the tank, and I get a kick out of his joyous, raptured look, the giggles, babbling, and wiggling that he does. No seriously. He kicks me constantly as I’m holding him because he is actually going ape-shit trying to reach through the glass to touch Nemo and friends. I have no other words to describe his awe. It’s pure entertainment that only costs us our $20 office visit co-pay fee.

So, given today’s Presidential Election outcome, which I and many other human beings believe will go down as one of the most tragic days in American history, I felt a strong need to do something to cheer my family members up. When Dana arrived home we loaded the family up in the car, and I called Sawyer’s Aunt Laura to meet us at the pet store. We bought Lincoln some bones (and a bag of food), and we bought Sawyer a fish. Dana wasn’t too pleased with the purchase of a fish, but I needed to see his look of joy that he has when he sees fish. (The more I think about it, it’s the same look he has when he sees dogs, cats, other babies, the TV…and even our patterned rugs at home. Hmmm…)

Dana will feel happiness when our new TV arrives…unless Trump and his greedy xenophobic minions take that away along with our rights. (Head smack) Wait! Positive thinking Larisa, and positive action!!

Who am I kidding? We’re fucked!

Okay, back to the fish. Sawyer picked out a beautiful Beta fish (that I realized the next morning at 3:50AM cost us $14.99…what Beta costs that much?!?!), we bought blue rock for the bottom of the fish bowl (duh), and his name is Dem-y. His full name is Democrat Rodham Love For All Stephenson-Sabin, but Dem-y is much shorter and easier for Sawyer to learn. 

Now that fish will possibly die in the next few days, forcing us to give him a Viking-style funeral in the Napa River, but I’ll go to the store and buy Sawyer another one. Hell, I might even buy him two Beta fishes that day (and another fish bowl since Betas are unable to share space with other fish, just like white supremacists are unable to be in close proximity to anyone). Just like I’ll wake up tomorrow and still be an American…albeit a very embarrassed and scared American who is truthfully searching for work in other gay-friendly countries. We’ve always wanted to live abroad for a couple of years…or until the Third World War is concluded.

Given the pain, fear, and anger I feel towards a lot of hateful Americans right now, I do not have much patience for setting a good example of how to offer a hand of acceptance towards those of you who felt the need to protect your pocket-books and/or white supremacist beliefs more so than protecting human beings. I will continue to work beside you, work with you, stand next to you in lines at the grocery store, smile at you as I walk down the street with my family…even though you don’t smile back…but know that I have lost respect for you. I haven’t lost hope, because I do know that a majority of you do have a good heart that is just unfortunately being smothered by your ego, hate for diversity, and greed, but my respect for you is nil at this point. Perhaps time will heal, but know that progress can not be stopped, and we will not forget the pain we feel towards the choices that you have made against us. We strive for inclusion, and you demand separation. The Republican Tea Party fascist group will eventually go extinct, along with the electoral college, and we will not save you from extinction, nor from Global Warming because, quite frankly, it’s time to join the diverse mainstream. We’ll open our arms and our homes to you when you finally realize your small-minded wrongdoings, but we refuse to save your xenophobic beliefs/hate from extinction. You’re on the endangered list. Love will always triumph, and as Michelle Obama says, “When they go low, we go high.” Unfortunately…when Dem-y goes belly-up high that means he’s dead…hmmmm. Perhaps we should rename him.